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DJ Premier is undoubtedly one of hip hop’s most influential producers and pioneers of the last two decades. The Situation gets talking to Primo to get the scoop on the state of hip hop.
It’s
hard for heads to talk hip hop music, and not mention DJ
Premier. His résumé stands virtually miles
above that of any producer actively making beats, with tailor-made compositions
for everyone from Nas and
Jay-Z, to Rakim
and KRS-One. Seventeen years
after Gang Starr hit the
streets with ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy’, the man more affectionately
known as ‘Primo’ continues to polish the boom-bap sound he
has been so instrumental in carrying on through each generation.
For those who have religiously followed Gang Starr since first hearing ‘Take it Personal’, there is no doubt an increasing sense of appreciation that follows each subsequent release. As every other mainstream single becomes more and more diluted than the last, Premier's bass kicks and thumping snares are all the more crisp and refreshing, however dirty and straight up hip hop they've always been. "Hip hop artists fail to realise that this culture belongs to us," says Premier, "being that it started in the ghetto and the 'hoods of New York. Wherever you come from you can do it, but you're never gonna be able to take away that element."
The boom-bap generation has watched the quality of the music gradually decline, inching further and further away from that iconic sound. "Everybody's passion went into the money being first, and the music secondary," tells Premier, "to the point where they'll pretty much suck up to any label that's gonna wave some money in their face."
Many say that Premier is indeed the last of a dying breed. Throughout recent years, everything that made hip hop music so alluring to begin with, the fun rhymes, funky beats, and that air of uniqueness, have been traded in for material accessories and mainstream appeal. All of the things that Premier has deviated from, through his rebellious sound and outspoken discontent for the inflation of whack artists, is reflected again and again in songs like ‘Mass Appeal’ and ‘Peace of Mine’.
Luckily for heads the world over, Premier is scheduled to record a full length album with Nas, a release that will no doubt be among the most highly anticipated of the year. Dating back, the two have quite a history; teaming up for three tracks on ‘Illmatic’, helping solidify Nas' debut as one of the most highly praised albums in hip hop history. "Jay-Z even told me, 'Yo, your chemistry with him is great, y'all always come up with a banger; you always give him that street sh*t,'" he says of his work with the Queensbridge emcee, "and I agree with that. Being completely in charge of the [new] album will be cool with me. If he wants one beat, that's cool; if he wants seven or eight, that's cool too. It's really up to him at the end of the day." He continued, "But I know if I did an album with just me and Nas, I would be able to do that record that's bangin' in the club, without doing a 'club record,' you know? I just wouldn't make it sound like what's popular now because that sh*t is too watered down and lightweight."
The project, which is yet to be titled, represents something more than just a reunion for the two heavyweights. "See, he's one of the few older emcees that can do an all-street album, and cut through all the bullsh*t. That's why I hope this new album comes out just straight gutter, because we need that right now." He went on, "That's why I was happy that The Game did his album the way he did," he said, referring to 2005's ‘The Documentary’. "I wasn't a big fan of Game at first, but his album made me kind of retract my opinion because his album was really just straight street."
However, Premier's newfound respect of the West Coast emcee, maybe even if combined with Nas, pales in comparison to that of his predecessors. Of all the many emcees Premier has handcrafted wax masterpieces for, KRS-One stands as the one he most appreciates. "The whole vibe of the session was just incredible," he says of working with the Boogie Down Productions front man. "You know, just learning from him. Most of these cats are younger than me, so working with them is mostly like, 'Okay, I like your stuff, let's get in the studio and do it,'" he says. "But with KRS-One it was like, I looked up to him, along with Rakim, just because they did it before I did. Even though Jay-Z and Nas are amazing, they'll never be a Rakim, or a KRS-One, or a Chuck D."
This past November, Premier's name was absent from the list of beat makers on the latest tribute album to Notorious B.I.G., ‘Duets: The Final Chapter’. "They asked me to do it, I just wasn't interested, you know what I'm saying?" says Premier. "I knew Big personally." Like most hip hop purists, Premier sees tribute albums as another way of cashing in on a dead man's fame. Part of the same era as Big, and one of his most notable collaborators, Premier has memories he can honour Biggie with. "I remember when Puff used to come pick him up in the town to go down to the studio, and he'd [Biggie] be like, 'I ain't going unless you got some money!'" he says, reminiscing. "You know, he'd [Puff Daddy] pretty much be like, 'Come on, Big, please let's go to the studio,' and he'd [Biggie] be like, 'You ain't got no money, I'm not going!' You know, like, I remember those days. I was on the corner, chilling with Big, just sitting out there and drinking 40's and stuff."
Just as Premier remained neutral during the recent feud between Nas and Jay-Z, he experienced both sides of the Biggie/Tupac feud before their deaths, befriending both of them. "Me and Pac knew each other for real for real. We went to a lot of parties together, you know, hung out with girls together, we used to drink Jack Daniels in my hotel room and just talk about life, and stuff like that." He continued, "We'd go to the Guru Jazzmatazz shows together and Tupac'd be like, 'C'mon, Premier, put your hands in the air! This is hot!' And people would think he was a thug, but I got crazy memories, and even to this day, when I talk to people they're like, 'Yo, what is up with all your people from New York, man, tryin’ to claim like they knew Pac,' and I'll be like, 'Dog, I'm right there with you, I don't know what's wrong with all these fools.'"
Even though Premier remains concerned with the decaying state of hip hop, that isn't to say there isn't hope. "I love Kanye West because he brought back sampling," he said of the Chicago producer/emcee, shortly after citing 9th Wonder as "funky as hell," and RJD2 as "very, very creative." These are the forerunners of a beat making generation made possible by people like DJ Premier; a group of up-and-coming producers that understand that a beat is every much a part of rap music as the rap itself. What would Guru be without a Primo? Who is CL Smooth without a Pete Rock? Would there be a Snoop Dogg if it weren't for a Dr. Dre? Repeat these questions again, vice versa, and the answer remains the same, whether it be yes or no. If you still love hip hop for what you loved it for in 1995, you probably still look forward to every Primo release like a kid on a trip to the sweet shop.
Without an official date, heads will have to wait on what Premier and Nas are cooking up for 2006, but fans can rest assured that they've got leftovers from the last two decades to hold themselves over.
